Chuck assembly



' Sept. 22, 1936. A. HOFMANN 2,055,193

' CHUCK ASSEMBLY Original Filed Jume 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6 n4 us INVENTOR. 14/ fred Hofmann ATTORNEYS Sept. 22, 1936.

Original F iled June 20, 1954 A. HOFMANN CHUCK ASS la'l EMBLY.

2 Sfieets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 22, 1935 NET STATES CHUCK ASSEMBLY Alfred Hofmann, Palisade, N. .17.,

assignor to Alfred Hofmann Needle Works, Inc, Union City, N. 5., a corporation of New Jersey 2, 1935, Serial No. 9,030

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chuck assemblies of the type particularly adaptable for use in automatic machinery and the like for the purpose of holding work pieces in o position to be operated upon.

An important object of this invention is to provide a reciprocally mounted chuck assembly arranged to automatically open to receive a work piece.

A further object of this invention is to provide a supporting arrangement to grip the work at a point spaced from the chuck so as to steady it during the processing of the work piece.

These and other objects as will appear from the following disclosure are secured by means of this invention.

This invention resides substantially in the combination, construction, arrangement, relative location of parts, all as will be set forth in full detail in the following specification in connection with the attached drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 731,440, filed June 20, 1934, which has become Patent No. 2,041,547, issued May 19, 1936 for Method and machine for making knitting needles.

In the drawings,-

Fig. l is a top plan View with some parts broken away of a chuck assembly in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal cross sectional view of the device;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan View showing the parts in a different position from that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical cross sectional View through the chuck itself;

Fig. 5 is an end elevational View of the chuck Jaws; I

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 is a similar view with the parts positioned so that the chuck jaws are open;

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view of the chuck jaws in open position, showing one of the jaws in cross section.

The mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of an automatic machine for manufacturing spring beard knitting needles from wire stock. The complete assembly is disclosed in my above mentioned copending application. Only so much of the operating mechanism is herein disclosed to show an operative arrangement.

The chuck assembly of this application is of general application and is illustrated as mounted upon a fixed support, although in the parent ap plication a plurality of such chuck assemblies are mounted upon a rotatable turret, so as to carry 5 work pieces held in the chuck to successively arranged attachments ior performing successive operations upon the work piece.

As shown in the drawings the device comprises any suitable type of support 3 for the chuck assembly which, as mentioned above, but not herein shown, may be a movable support, as for example a rotary turret. Mounted upon the support is the chuck assembly which is indicated generally by the reference numeral Q. Mounted within the support 3 is another support 33, in which is journaled a power driven shaft M, keyed to the driving gear [159. This gear meshes with a driven gear 99 which is secured to, for rotation with, a cam 98. Formed in the support 93 is a guideway 95 in which a slide 95 is mounted. This slide is provided'with a cam follower 31 shown in the form of a roller positioned to be engaged by the cam 98. A spring 95 interconnects the slidable member $6 with the support so .as to urge the cam follower 9'! into contact with the camst.

Mounted upon the support 3 is a housing H2 for slidably supporting the chuck which is generally indicated at l M. Also slidably mounted in the housing H2 is a rod H5 which is united with the chuck by means of a plate H3. This plate is provided with a pin or roller which fits into a recess in an extension iii on the slide 85. Thus movement of the slide causes movement of the chuck assembly and the parts connected therewith through the plate H3. Also mounted on an extension of plate H3 or an arm secured thereto, as shown, is a bar M6 which is guided in the member H'i' mounted on the housing I i2. Pivotally supported on the member 5 H are a pair of hell crank levers having the short arms l 58 and the long arms H3 which terminate in the fingers E E9. These fingers are interconnected by means of a spring, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to normally urge them together. The short arms H8 are positioned so that the rod H6 may pass therethrough.

The construction of the chuck is clearly shown in Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive. It comprises the rod M4 which is counterbored from one end to provide a chamber which has an axial extension of smaller diameter. Mounted within this extension is a solid rod 528 which is secured in place by means of the transverse pin lZl. At I22 is a tubular sleeve which is slidably mounted in the counterbore of the rod H4, and positioned so as to telescope with the free end of the rod I20. A coil spring I28 is seated in the bottom of the recess and mounted between this terminal end and the sleeve I22, so as to surround the rod I23. The end of rod I23 is slotted to form a pair of extending arms I28 which have inner fiat sides as is apparent from Fig. 8. These extensions are positioned to ride in the sleeve I22, as is clear from Figs. 6 and 7. Pivotally mounted on the extensions I23 by means of a pivot pin I23, are the chuck jaws I24. Interposed between these jaws so as to normally urge them apart is a coil spring I25. Mounted on one of the jaws is a pin I26 positioned to register with an aperture in another jaw when the jaws are in closed position. A pair of work gripping anvils I27 are formed by milling slots on the inner faces of the jaws I24 in opposed relation so as to grip the work piece N. The particular work piece illustrated is provided with a bent end as shown at N, Fig. 4, and the pin I26 is also positioned so as to aid in properly positioning the work piece in the notches of the anvils.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, there is provided a fixed support I38 upon which a longitudinally adjustable index or stop pin screw I33 is mounted. The screw I33 is positioned so as to engage the head I I which is longitudinally adjustable upon the rod H5. At I3! is either a fixed or movable support upon which is mounted a pin I32, positioned so as to engage the end of sleeve I22, as Will be apparent from Figs. 4, 5 and 9.

In the operation of this device with shaft I4 revolving it will be apparent that cam 98 revolves. When it is in the position shown in Fig. 2, the slide 96 is to the left hand position as is the chuck I I 4, and all parts connected thereto. In this position rod H6 has spread the arms H9 so that the fingers H9 are disengaged from the Work piece. The head H5 of the rod H5 has engaged the stop screw I33 so that the parts may move no further to the left. Support I3I is then moved (preferably by automatic mechanism not shown) towards the chuck so that the pin I32 engages the sleeve I22 and moves it inwardly against the action of spring I28. As the sleeve moves inwardly its end which engages the outer inclined faces of the chuck jaws I24 moves back so that the jaws may separate under the action of spring I25. Fig. 7 shows the jaws fully opened. The

work piece may then be removed from the chuck manually or by means of automatic mechanism. A new work piece is inserted in place, as indicated in Fig. 4. The support I3I with its pin I32 then moves away from the chuck with the result that spring I28 moves the sleeve I 22 outwardly. The end of the sleeve engaging the inclined faces of the chuck jaws causes them to move together gripping the Work piece N and compressing spring I25. By this time cam 98 will have moved to a position so as to engage cam follower 9'? and move it to the right. This causes slide 96 to move to the right, tensioning spring 96 and moving all of the parts including chuck IE4, plate H3 and rods H5 and M3 to the right. As this movement continues rod H6 moves from between the short arms I I 8 so that the fingers I I9 engage and support the work piece N. The work piece N may then be processed.

Thus, in the case of the parent application the support 3, which is in the form of a turret, is moved in a step-by-step movement from one attachment to another, where the work piece is operated upon.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention resides in certain principles of construction and operation which may be embodied in other physical forms without departure from the scope of the invention. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a mechanism of the type described the combination with a support and an operating mechanism, of a chuck device slidably mounted on the support and having gripping jaws and interconnected with the operating mechanism whereby the chuck may be reciprocated in the support, a work supporting means comprising a pair of pivotally mounted arms having fingers thereon positioned to engage the work piece at a point beyond the chuck jaws, and means operated by the movement of the chuck for engaging and disengaging the fingers with and from the work piece.

2. In a mechanism of the type described, the combination comprising a support, a chuck slidably mounted on the support and having work gripping jaws, means for effecting sliding movement of the chuck, a pair of work gripping fingers pivotally mounted on the support and having levers secured thereto, and means mounted on the chuck for movement therewith for engaging said levers to open and close said fingers whereby work held in the chuck may be engaged and supported at a point in front of the chuck aws.

3. In a mechanism asdescribed the combination with a support and a power operated mechanism, of a chuck having jaws slidably mounted in the support and interconnected with the power operated mechanism, means for connecting the chuck to release its jaws as it approaches the end of its movement in one direction, a pair of pivotally mounted work supporting members positioned on the chuck body and closable by movement of the members into a position in front of the chuck jaws, and means for opening and closing said members operated by the reciprocation of the chuck.

ALFRED HOFMANN. 

